Why Don't You Play Any Local Bands?

If there is one question I dread it's "Why Don't You Play Any Local Bands?" Why is it that every garage band in town thinks they are the one to whom we should give their "big break." Here is a typical conversation and how it always plays-out:

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BAND: Why don't you ever give a local band a shot?

PD: We have ... look at (example 1), (example 2), (example 3)

BAND: Yeah but those aren't really local bands ...

PD: Sure they are - all started right here in (city) and have always gotten huge support from (station).

BAND: I'm not talking about big established bands (dude?)

PD: None of them were nationally known when we first played them.

BAND: I'm talking about hard working local bands that don't have enough money to pay off the radio stations and get air-play

PD: So am I.

BAND: These are supposed to be the public airways (again, "dude"?)

PD: (I will save that debate for another time) - Indeed they are - we are playing what the public wants to hear.

BAND: But (dude), everyone I know would listen more if you played local stuff.

--- At this point, it is probably best to just end the call politely, but let's continue for fun ---

PD: How many people do you know?

BAND: I dunno

PD: 10?

BAND: More

PD: 50?

BAND: Yeah ... more

PD: 500?

BAND: Not really that high.

PD: We have an audience (cume) of over 400,000. When we make music decisions we hope that at least 25% will concur. Do you think a hundred thousand people want to hear your band on this radio station?

BAND: Ah .... sure!

PD: How many CD's have you sold?

BAND: A couple hundred

PD: Really?

BAND: Well, maybe 60 or 70.

PD: Our newest add on the station sold 800 copies of the album this week alone in our city.

BAND: But like I said, we don't have money to pay off the record labels and radio stations.

PD: Believe me - if they were paying us: we wouldn't have to sell commercials or even have a sales department.

BAND: Radio sucks!

PD: It sure does - until your band gets signed.

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This is almost an exact transcript of a conversation I wasted 20 minutes on late yesterday. I could have made it a 5 minute conversation and lead with a line like

If you're really that good - you'll get a deal and end up on the radio.

But as most of us in radio have learned, the odds are against you. Hope is a major driving factor in keeping us all going. The band thinks the reason they are not on the station is that we suck. Better than them realizing that it is them that indeed sucks.